Folding lounge chair



Dec. 14, 1954 E. SCHLAAK FOLDING LOUNGE CHAIR 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 19, 1953 AYTaF VEK Dec. 14, 1954 E. SCHLAAK FOLDING LOUNGE CHAIR 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 19, 1953 I INVENTOR.

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AY'TQPNEK United States Patent FOLDING LOUNGE CHAIR Ervin Schlaak, Muncie, Ind., assignor to Durham Manu- {gcturing Corporation, Muncie, Ind., a corporation of diana Application October 19, 1953, Serial No. 386,712

7 Claims. (Cl. 155-117) This invention relates to a folding lounge chair of the type including an integral leg-supporting portion.

The primary object of my invention is to provide such a lounge chair so constructed as to be capable of being folded into a compact package for shipping and for storage'when not in use.

A further object is to provide such a chair in which the back-support portion can be selectively adjusted between a relatively upright position and a more nearly horizontal position.

Another object is to provide a structure in which the back, seat and leg-supporting members can be formed of a unitary panel of flexible material which can be easily attached to and removed from the chair frame.

A still further object is to provide foldable arm rests for such a chair.

Other objects will become apparent as the description proceeds.

To the accomplishment of the above and related objects, my invention may be embodied in the form illustrated in the accompanying drawings, attention being called to the fact, however, that the drawings are illustrative only, and that change may be made in the specific construction illustrated and described, so long as the scope of the appended claims is not violated.

Fig. 1 is a rear perspective view of a preferred form of chair embodying my invention shown in a position in which the back-supporting portion thereof is arranged in its most nearly vertical position;

Fig. 2 is a front perspective view of the chair shown in Fig. 1, but showing the back-supporting portion thereof in its most nearly horizontal position; V

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the chair of Fig. 1 shown in its position for use with the back-supporting portion thereof shown in its extreme upper and lower positions in solid and dotted lines, respectively; and

Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing the chair in its folded position.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, 1 have shown my chair comprising a base unit referred to gen erally by the reference numeral 10, a back-supporting unit referred to generally by the reference numeral 11, a front-leg unit referred to generally by the reference numeral 12, and a back-brace unit referred to generally by the reference numeral 13.

Base unit 10 is formed with a rectangular frame comprising substantially parallel side rails 14 and 15 and end rails 16 and 17 connecting together the opposite ends of said side rails. In its position for use, base unit 10 is arranged with the end rail 16 in floor-engaging position and with the side rails extending forwardly and upwardly from rail 16. Preferably, the rear portions 18 and 19 of side rails 14 and 15, respectively, are bent out of the plane of said rails and downwardly therefrom for a purpose later to become apparent.

In order to make the leg-supporting portion 10 of the chair more closely conform to the contour of the human body, I prefer to bend the forward portions 20 and 21 of side rails 14 and 15, respectively, out of the plane of said rails and downwardly, preferably a little past the horizontal, as clearly seen in Fig. 3.

The front leg unit 12 is formed with a U-shaped frame having side members 22 and 23 spanned by a base-portion 24. The distal ends of the side members are pivotally connected, as at 25 and 26, to base unit 10, near the bend in the side rails 14 and 15 defining the forward legsoP supporting portion 10, for swinging movement of said unit about-an axis substantially perpendicular to said side rails. v

The back-supporting unit 11 comprises an inverted U-shaped frame having substantially parallel side rails 27 and 28 connected by an end rail 29. These side rails are pivotally connected, as at 30 and 31, to the side rails 14 and 15, respectively, intermediate the opposite end portions 18, 19 and 20, 21, for swingmg movement of said back-supporting unit about an axis substantially parallel to the axis of front-leg unit 12.

It will be noted that the pivotal connections 30 and 31 are1 spaced slightly from the distal ends of side rails 27 an 28.

To the distal end of side rail 27 is pivotally connected one end of a link 33. The opposite end of this link is pivotally connected to the side member 22 of leg unit 12, intermediate the ends thereof. A similar link 34 has one end pivotally connected to the distal end of side rail 27, and the opposite end pivotally connected to the side member 23 of the leg unit 12. Thereby, the front-leg unit 12 is operatively connected to swing in response to swinging movement of back-supporting unit 11.

The back-brace unit 13 comprises a U-shaped frame having side members 35 and 36 and a base-portion 37. Said side members are respectively pivotally connected to side rails 27 and 28, at points 38 and 39 spaced upwardly from the pivotal connections 30 and 31 between the base unit and the back-supporting unit, for swinging movement of said back-brace unit about an axis substantially parallel to the axis of connections 30 and 31.

A pair of indexing plates 40 and 41 are respectively fixed to the rear portions 18 and 19 of side rails 14 and 15 and are each formed with a plurality of upwardly opening notches or sockets 42 and 43, spaced in the direction of rail portions 18 and 19. The base-portion 37, of back-brace unit 13, is selectively enterable in the corresponding notches in plates 40 and 41 whereby the back-supporting unit 11 can be raised or lowered to vary the angular relation between said unit and said base unit 10.

In order that the back-supporting unit 11 can be adjusted to a nearly horizontal position (as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3), I provide a further pair of links 44 and 45. Link 44 has one end pivotally connected, as at 46, to the side member 35 of back-brace unit 13. The link is axially slotted as at 47 and is supported on a shouldered stud 48 carried on the side rail 14 of baseunit 10. Link is similarly pivotally connected to side member 36, as at 49, and supported on side rail 15 upon a shouldered stud 50 extending through an axial slot 51 in said link. Links 44 and 45 are of such a length that the base portion 37 of back-brace unit 13 can be removed from the notches in plates 40 and 41 and placed on the floor in contiguity with the end rail 16 of base unit 10. In this position, the shouldered studs 48 and 50 are seated against the ends of link-slots 47 and 51. Thereby, the base-portion of the back-brace unit 13 is firmly held in this position.

The seat, back and leg-supporting members of the chair are comprised of a unitary panel 52 of flexible material providing, along the opposite edges thereof, two series of eyelets 53 and 54. The ends of panel 52 are secured about the end rails 17 and 29, of units 10 and 11, respectively, and the panel is securely supported from the side rails 14, 15, 27 and 28 of units 10 and 11 by means of lacings 55 and 56 threaded through the respective eyelets and wrapped around the adjacent side rails. A sturdy and comfortable supporting surface for the entire length of the human body is thereby provided.

When desired, arm rests 57 and 58 can be provided conveniently merely by extending the side members 35 and 36 of back-brace unit 13 beyond the pivotal connection points 38 and 39 thereof and by turning these extensions out of the common plane of said side members and into a relatively horizontal plane, as most clearly to be seen in Fig. 3.

In Fig. 4, I have shown the chair in its folded condition. To so arrange the chair, it is necessary only to ush the back-supporting unit forward to lie in substantial parallelism with the base unit 10. In so doing, the

front-leg unit will be swung counter-clockwise (as viewed in Fig. 3) into substantial parallelism with said base unit as a result of the connection by links 33 and 34 between back-supporting unit 11 and the front-leg unit 12. At the same time, the links 44 and 45 will move the baseportion 37 of the back-brace unit into a position closely adjacent to the back-supporting unit. The chair then presents a compact and easily storable package, occupying only a fraction of the space occupied when in itsuse position.

I claim as my invention:

1. A folding lounge chair comprising opposed side frame portions each comprising a seat-supporting memher, a back-supporting member pivotally connected near the lower end thereof to said seat-supporting member at a point intermediate the ends thereof,'sai d seat supporting member being arranged, when said chair is in its position for use, to extend forwardly and upwardly from one end thereof, said end being disposed in floor-engaging position, and said back-supporting member being arranged to extend upwardly and rearwardly from its connection with said seat-supporting member, a front-leg member pivotally connected to said seat-supporting member, at a point forward of said back-supporting member, and depending therefrom into floor-engaging position, link means pivotally connected at one end to the lower end of said back-supporting member and at the other end to said front-leg member at a point intermediate the ends thereof, and a back-brace member pivotally connected to said back-supporting member at a point spaced upwardly from said seat-supporting member.

2. The chair of claim 1 including an arm-rest member integral with said back-brace member and extending forwardly from the point of pivotal connection therewith.

3. The chair of claim 1 including means carried by said seat-supporting member adjacent the floor-engaging end thereof providing a plurality of indexing sockets, said one end of said back-brace member being enterable selectively in said sockets for adjusting the angular relation of said back-supporting member to said seat-supporting member, link means providing a yieldable connection between said seat-supporting member, at a point rearward of said back-supporting member, and said backbrace member at a point intermediate the ends thereof, said link means being pivotally connected to one of said members and axially, slidably supported on the other of said members, and said link means being of a length sufficient to permit the removalof said one end of said backbrace member from said sockets and the placing of said end upon the floor adjacent the floor-engaging end of said seat-supporting member.

4. A folding lounge chair comprising a rectangular base unit having laterally spaced, substantially parallel side rails and end rails connecting together the opposite ends of said side rails, one of said end rails being arranged, when said chair is in its position for use, in fioor engaging position with said side rails extending forwardly and upwardly therefrom, a U-shaped front-leg unithaving the base-portion thereof arranged in floor engaging position and the distal ends thereof pivotally connected to the opposite side rails of said baseunit for swingingmovement of said front-leg unit about an axis substantially perpendicular to said side rails at points spaced rearwardly from the other of said end rails, an inverted U-shaped back-supporting unit having laterally spaced, substantially parallel side rails and an end rail connecting together said side rails, said side rails being pivotally connected, at points spaced slightly from the distal ends thereof, to the side rails of said base unit at points spaced rearwardly from said front-leg unit for swinging movement of said back-supporting unit about an axis substantially parallel to the axis of said front-leg unit, a pair of link means each pivotally connected at one end to one side of said front-leg unit, intermediate the upper and lower ends thereof, and at the other end to the distal end of the respective side rail of said back-supporting unit whereby said front-leg unit will be moved in response to movement of said back-supporting unit, a U-shaped backbrace unit having the distal ends thereof pivot-ally connected to the opposite side rails of said back-supporting unit at points spaced upwardly from said base-unit, a seat member, means supporting said member along its opposite edges upon the side rails of said baseunit forward of said back-supporting unit, a back member, and means supporting said member along its opposite edges upon the side rails of said back-supporting unit.

5. The chair of claim 4 including a pair of arm rests for said chair, each being integral with a distal portion of said back-brace unit and extending forwardly from the point of pivotal connection thereof in a substantially horizontal plane.

6. The chair of claim 4 in which that portion of said base unit, forward of said front-leg unit, is bent out of the plane of said base unit into a relatively horizontal plane to form a leg-supporting portion for said chair, said chair further including a leg-supporting member supported along its opposite edges upon said forward portion of said base-unit.

7. The chair of claim 4 including notched indexing plates carried by the side rails of said base unit near said one end rail for selectively receiving and supporting the base portion of said back-supporting unit, a further pair of link means providing a yieldable connection between said back-brace unit and said base-unit, such link means each having one end pivotally connected to one side of said backbrace unit and the other end axially, slidably supported on the adjacent side rail of said base-unit at a point rearward of said back-supporting unit, said link means each being of a length such that the base-portion of said back-brace unit can be removed from the notches of said indexing plates and placed on the floor adjacent said base-unit to permit the lowering of said back-supporting unit into a more nearly horizontal position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 445,012 Dicks Jan. 20, 1891 1,261,063 Slater Apr. 2, 1918 1,308,500 Lindblom July 1, 1919 1,736,569 Bailey Nov. 19,, 1929 1,882,176 Brown Oct. 11, 1932 1,912,282 Krebs May 30, 1933 2,047,178 Coninch July 14, 1936 2,649,138 Rechler Aug. 18, 1953 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 13,517 Great Britain 1909 

